rw'Verse. Iacon. A job well done.
Blackout glanced toward the refreshment table, her mouth twitching as she caught sight of Cyclonus teaching Bullseye the fine art of getting overcharged at an official function with no one being the wiser till you pass out on your face in front of some diplomat.
From there her gaze went to where Tidal Wave had Shockblast and Sixshot in either hand and was giving them an intensely intimidating lecture as to why fighting at the party was not in their best interest. Being strapped to a wall as target practise for his Minicon friends was the lightest suggested penalty.
There were Minicons at this function as well. Blackout could hear an earnest conference going on under one of the larger tables. Apparently something needed to be rescued for the Minicon cause. Something from the larger Transformers' refreshment table.
She looked around and saw Optimus hunkered down, his yellow optics intent as he listened to something that Sparkplug had to say, then put up a hand to gently rub between her transformed symbiont's ears with one finger.
"What do you think, eh, Scorponok?"
He spat and shook a paw, but then turned his head toward the finger and purred loudly.
Blackout chuckled and crooned to him too softly for any of the assembled humans to hear, then looked down as Starscream paused beside her. Her former second in command was the only one yet to know that she was leaving, and the knowledge gave his features a melancholy cast.
To her surprise he smiled at her. "I don't have to look up so far."
"No." She put a hand on his shoulder, smiling a little bemusedly herself. "The extra height suits you."
He shrugged and shook his head slightly. "It doesn't matter what someone looks like, so long as they get their job done."
Her smile lost the bemusement and became proud as her fingers tightened slightly in a squeeze. "You carried yourself well while I was offline, and afterward."
"Thank you." Faceplate heating slightly at the praise, he turned his head and looked toward a certain cluster of humans, who occasionally glanced toward him.
"You've settled things with them?" asked Blackout softly.
"Yes." He nodded. "It wasn't hard, though both Carlos and Alexis lost their tempers. They were right to do so."
Then he smiled again and spoke to Scorponok, who regarded him indifferently.
"Walk with me." Blackout's mouth twitched at the solid thunk of head hitting head, but didn't look toward where the exhorting of the brothers continued. Starscream glanced that way with a slight frown, and Tidal Wave looked up with surprise, then nodded and dragged the pair out of the room.
-He's grown,- she thought to Primus as they came out onto a balcony that overlooked what was left of the city, which was just lighting up as darkness fell. -And not just in the size of his shell. I wonder if Skywarp would think better of him now.- Then she shook her head slightly. -No. He wouldn't be Skywarp if he did.-
"The Minicons like you," she noted to Starscream.
"Some of them are my friends." He leaned on the railing, hands folded together. "You seem to have experience with them yourself."
Blackout nodded. "Minicons aren't native to my own reality, but they travel through the place where I live now." The two little holos of her minions... her creations... appeared and stood on the railing, and she looked at them wistfully, reminding herself that soon she'd be home. "Both of these were made by the strange and random technology of that place." Her voice dropped. "Hormah is half Minicon."
Starscream started and tore his eyes from the darker rookie to look at the femme, recognizing that fact in her features now.
Then he looked back to the young mech. "And Requiem is half Skywarp."
"Yes."
"Does he know?"
"Yes. He knows. He was there when the scrap was created." She held back a sigh.
"He's your mate."
"In that dream place that I sometimes find myself in, yes."
They were silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts.
Then Starscream stirred again. "This isn't your natural form."
"No." She called up another holo and stood it next to those of her creations.
The silver eyed Seeker gazed at that savagely alien and beautiful visage, then tilted his head to compare it to the femme beside him. "It suits you better."
Blackout shrugged. "It doesn't matter what someone looks like, so long as they get their job done."
Starscream chuckled softly, then turned to look inside. "I should go and speak to the diplomats again. If I don't see you again before you go... thank you."
She blinked and watched him go, then turned her head to look at the mech who'd come up on her other side.
"Leaving?" asked Roadblock quietly, his blue optics seeking her silver ones.
"Going home." She absently cupped her hand around Hormah's image, letting her own flicker and fade as she avoided the gaze of the one Autobot who'd tried to return the kiss she'd given him despite his uncertainty on how to do so. "My team needs me."
He nodded and turned his attention to the city, unconciously taking the same pose that Starscream had, though he bobbed his linked hands slightly. "So... don't Optimus and Hotshot get kisses? I mean, you even got Rodimus and Prowl."
Remembering Rodimus' cracked dignity made her chuckle deeply, as did the remembrance of Prowl's girlish scream of terror when she'd grabbed him. "I didn't kiss Prowl."
"No?" Roadblock looked up at her. "Poor guy. Why not?"
The back of her fist connected gently with his side, causing a meep and a clang. "I was here to help you lot, not permanently offline any of you."
He grinned, but then sobered slightly as someone called his name. "Whoops, I'd better go settle that... before Ironhide has a glitch."
Blackout watched him go, then stroked Scorponok a few times before straightening and going to tell the rest of her team goodbye before heading toward the door.
"Blackout." Optimus excused himself hastily from a conversation with Alexis and another politician and stepped after her. "I want to say thank you."
She stopped and turned back to him with a grin. "I like thank yous."
His yellow optics creased in a smile as he held out one hand, but then widened with surprise as she wrapped her arms around him and stuck her face to his.
-What...?- Optimus blinked inwardly as he was kissed. -Oh... I'd better resp... diiiizzzy.-
Blackout lifted her head and grinned at him, then gently lowered him to the floor before turning and striding out of the room.
"What the heck was that all about???" demanded Alexis, hands on her hips as other guests gave a rousing round of applause.
Jetfire chuckled as he hunkered down beside him. "Optimus, my friend, it looks like you have finally had your tail totally owned by a Decepticon."
"If all Decepticon arguments went like that I don't think we'd fight so hard." Optimus blinked and tried to get his thought processes back online.
"Ohhhh, men are all the same, whether they're mechanical or human!" Alexis threw her hands up and stomped away.
Jetfire watched her go, then stifled a guffaw as he heard a shocked exclamation from Hot Shot.
"She's gone?" cried the yellow Autobot. "But what about me? I didn't get a kiss!"
"Oh sure you do." Arcee walked over and hopped up to put her arms around his neck.
"Whoa...." His optics widened.
Optimus couldn't hold in his own laughter as he rolled over carefully and tried to get up.
---
Tidal Wave watched them, then looked down at Starscream. "Tidal Wave will miss her."
"We all will." The Seeker nodded soberly. "But her job here is done... and her family needs her."
"You're the boss now?"
"I think so." He looked around and saw the others looking to him, awaiting instructions. He nodded and snagged a small container of fancy energon from a passing tray, and they all relaxed and resumed whatever each had been doing. "Yes... I am."
"Good. Tidal Wave not cut out for that job." The giant went to drown his sorrow with libations from the tanks on the table.
Starscream watched him go, then turned and looked out the door.
And far away, in a place outside normal time and space, Blackout opened her eyes and heard the sound of human dance music and of her creations' voices and knew that she was home.
From there her gaze went to where Tidal Wave had Shockblast and Sixshot in either hand and was giving them an intensely intimidating lecture as to why fighting at the party was not in their best interest. Being strapped to a wall as target practise for his Minicon friends was the lightest suggested penalty.
There were Minicons at this function as well. Blackout could hear an earnest conference going on under one of the larger tables. Apparently something needed to be rescued for the Minicon cause. Something from the larger Transformers' refreshment table.
She looked around and saw Optimus hunkered down, his yellow optics intent as he listened to something that Sparkplug had to say, then put up a hand to gently rub between her transformed symbiont's ears with one finger.
"What do you think, eh, Scorponok?"
He spat and shook a paw, but then turned his head toward the finger and purred loudly.
Blackout chuckled and crooned to him too softly for any of the assembled humans to hear, then looked down as Starscream paused beside her. Her former second in command was the only one yet to know that she was leaving, and the knowledge gave his features a melancholy cast.
To her surprise he smiled at her. "I don't have to look up so far."
"No." She put a hand on his shoulder, smiling a little bemusedly herself. "The extra height suits you."
He shrugged and shook his head slightly. "It doesn't matter what someone looks like, so long as they get their job done."
Her smile lost the bemusement and became proud as her fingers tightened slightly in a squeeze. "You carried yourself well while I was offline, and afterward."
"Thank you." Faceplate heating slightly at the praise, he turned his head and looked toward a certain cluster of humans, who occasionally glanced toward him.
"You've settled things with them?" asked Blackout softly.
"Yes." He nodded. "It wasn't hard, though both Carlos and Alexis lost their tempers. They were right to do so."
Then he smiled again and spoke to Scorponok, who regarded him indifferently.
"Walk with me." Blackout's mouth twitched at the solid thunk of head hitting head, but didn't look toward where the exhorting of the brothers continued. Starscream glanced that way with a slight frown, and Tidal Wave looked up with surprise, then nodded and dragged the pair out of the room.
-He's grown,- she thought to Primus as they came out onto a balcony that overlooked what was left of the city, which was just lighting up as darkness fell. -And not just in the size of his shell. I wonder if Skywarp would think better of him now.- Then she shook her head slightly. -No. He wouldn't be Skywarp if he did.-
"The Minicons like you," she noted to Starscream.
"Some of them are my friends." He leaned on the railing, hands folded together. "You seem to have experience with them yourself."
Blackout nodded. "Minicons aren't native to my own reality, but they travel through the place where I live now." The two little holos of her minions... her creations... appeared and stood on the railing, and she looked at them wistfully, reminding herself that soon she'd be home. "Both of these were made by the strange and random technology of that place." Her voice dropped. "Hormah is half Minicon."
Starscream started and tore his eyes from the darker rookie to look at the femme, recognizing that fact in her features now.
Then he looked back to the young mech. "And Requiem is half Skywarp."
"Yes."
"Does he know?"
"Yes. He knows. He was there when the scrap was created." She held back a sigh.
"He's your mate."
"In that dream place that I sometimes find myself in, yes."
They were silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts.
Then Starscream stirred again. "This isn't your natural form."
"No." She called up another holo and stood it next to those of her creations.
The silver eyed Seeker gazed at that savagely alien and beautiful visage, then tilted his head to compare it to the femme beside him. "It suits you better."
Blackout shrugged. "It doesn't matter what someone looks like, so long as they get their job done."
Starscream chuckled softly, then turned to look inside. "I should go and speak to the diplomats again. If I don't see you again before you go... thank you."
She blinked and watched him go, then turned her head to look at the mech who'd come up on her other side.
"Leaving?" asked Roadblock quietly, his blue optics seeking her silver ones.
"Going home." She absently cupped her hand around Hormah's image, letting her own flicker and fade as she avoided the gaze of the one Autobot who'd tried to return the kiss she'd given him despite his uncertainty on how to do so. "My team needs me."
He nodded and turned his attention to the city, unconciously taking the same pose that Starscream had, though he bobbed his linked hands slightly. "So... don't Optimus and Hotshot get kisses? I mean, you even got Rodimus and Prowl."
Remembering Rodimus' cracked dignity made her chuckle deeply, as did the remembrance of Prowl's girlish scream of terror when she'd grabbed him. "I didn't kiss Prowl."
"No?" Roadblock looked up at her. "Poor guy. Why not?"
The back of her fist connected gently with his side, causing a meep and a clang. "I was here to help you lot, not permanently offline any of you."
He grinned, but then sobered slightly as someone called his name. "Whoops, I'd better go settle that... before Ironhide has a glitch."
Blackout watched him go, then stroked Scorponok a few times before straightening and going to tell the rest of her team goodbye before heading toward the door.
"Blackout." Optimus excused himself hastily from a conversation with Alexis and another politician and stepped after her. "I want to say thank you."
She stopped and turned back to him with a grin. "I like thank yous."
His yellow optics creased in a smile as he held out one hand, but then widened with surprise as she wrapped her arms around him and stuck her face to his.
-What...?- Optimus blinked inwardly as he was kissed. -Oh... I'd better resp... diiiizzzy.-
Blackout lifted her head and grinned at him, then gently lowered him to the floor before turning and striding out of the room.
"What the heck was that all about???" demanded Alexis, hands on her hips as other guests gave a rousing round of applause.
Jetfire chuckled as he hunkered down beside him. "Optimus, my friend, it looks like you have finally had your tail totally owned by a Decepticon."
"If all Decepticon arguments went like that I don't think we'd fight so hard." Optimus blinked and tried to get his thought processes back online.
"Ohhhh, men are all the same, whether they're mechanical or human!" Alexis threw her hands up and stomped away.
Jetfire watched her go, then stifled a guffaw as he heard a shocked exclamation from Hot Shot.
"She's gone?" cried the yellow Autobot. "But what about me? I didn't get a kiss!"
"Oh sure you do." Arcee walked over and hopped up to put her arms around his neck.
"Whoa...." His optics widened.
Optimus couldn't hold in his own laughter as he rolled over carefully and tried to get up.
---
Tidal Wave watched them, then looked down at Starscream. "Tidal Wave will miss her."
"We all will." The Seeker nodded soberly. "But her job here is done... and her family needs her."
"You're the boss now?"
"I think so." He looked around and saw the others looking to him, awaiting instructions. He nodded and snagged a small container of fancy energon from a passing tray, and they all relaxed and resumed whatever each had been doing. "Yes... I am."
"Good. Tidal Wave not cut out for that job." The giant went to drown his sorrow with libations from the tanks on the table.
Starscream watched him go, then turned and looked out the door.
And far away, in a place outside normal time and space, Blackout opened her eyes and heard the sound of human dance music and of her creations' voices and knew that she was home.